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Introduction
The past two years have seen a rise in the number of companies' embracing e-
commerce technologies and the Internet in India. Most e-commerce sites have been targeted
towards NRI's with gift delivery services, books, audio and videocassettes etc. Major Indian
portal sites have also shifted towards e-commerce instead of depending on advertising revenue.
The web communities built around these portal sites with content have been effectively targeted
to sell everything from event and movie tickets to groceries and computers. The leader in these
services being Rediff on the net, (www.rediff.com) and India plaza which started a shopping
section, after their highly successful content site generated WEB visitors. In spite of RBI
regulation, low Internet usage e-commerce sites have popped up everywhere hawking things like
groceries, bakery items, gifts, books, audio & videocassettes, computer etc. None of the major
players have been deterred by the low PC penetration, credit card usage in India have also tried to
close the success worldwide of online commerce. BPB publication went online selling its
complete range of computer books about 2 years ago, it might not have the success of an
Amazon.com of Barnes and Noble, but they definitely have promised the cause of e-commerce in
India with at least 1 to 5 web sites like India bookshop coming online.
This is not to say that the e-commerce scenario has been bad in India, as highly
successful e-businesses like Baba Bazaar and India mart have proved themselves. Indian Banks
too have been very successful in adapting EC and EDI Technologies to provide customers with
real time account status, transfer of funds between current and checking accounts, stop payment
facilities etc. ICICI Bank, Global Trust Bank and UTI-Bank also have put e banking over the
internet facilities in place for the up coming e-commerce market speed post also plain to clone
the FedEx story with online package status at any moment in time . The future does look very
bright for e-commerce in India with even the stock exchanges coming online providing an online
stock portfolio and status with a fifteen minute delay in prices. The day cannot be far when with
RBI regulations we will able to see stock transfer and sale over the Net with specialized services
like Schwab and e-trade.
Though with security and encryption being proven, technology for the transfer of
funds over the Internet, the Indian Government still has problems with 'Digital signatures' and
verification processes over the Internet. This combined with RBI norms and regulations has
proved a major huddle for e-commerce even though VSNL India's monopolistic ISP does want to
jump on to the electronic transaction bandwagon with the advent of private ISP's and India’s new
and positive attitude towards IT and the prime ministers new 'IT policy "the future is very
positive in India for doing commerce.”
Commerce has evolved over the centuries. Prior to the evolution of money it was the simple
“barter process” where things could be exchanged, say milk for grains. The evolution of money
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brought with it, the concept of a “marketplace”. In a marketplace, Commerce is function of 4
P’s – Product, Price, Place and Promotions. All these four components play a vital role in a
transaction to take place. Different combinations of 4Ps determine different t forms of
Commerce. Once the marketplace came into existence, a few pioneers realized that people would
be ready to pay extra if they could deliver products at the customer’s doorstep. A slight
modification on Price and Place led to the convenience of getting products at their homes. This
concept delighted the customers and thus, the concept of “Street Vendors” was born.
When the Postal System came into being the sellers decided to cash in on the new opportunity
and started using mailers giving description of their products. It led to the concept of “Mail
Order Cataloguing”. From here, the evolution of the “Tele shopping” networks was thus
inevitable with the development of media vehicles.
The latest generation of commerce is one that can be done over the internet. Internet provides a
virtual platform where sellers and buyers can come in contact for sale and purchase of goods and
services. They can be thousands of miles apart, may belong to different parts of the world, might
speak different languages, “E-Commerce” emerged as the boundary-less trade medium in the era
of globalization.
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Fig 1.1 Evolution of Commerce
Since, Internet has the ability to reach the customer’s home; the Distribution Channel has started
to assume new meaning to the B2C and C2C e-Marketer. The Physical delivery got converted to
electronic delivery; physical products were now electronic products, displayed on a website. With
options of paying online through debit and credit cards, even the Transaction was purely
electronic.
Another important P for the e marketer, Promotion, assumed importance, especially because there
is no face to face interaction between the buyer and seller. The focus of online promotions is the
‘great deals’, ‘discounts’, ‘convenience’ offered by the Marketers
.1.2 The Status of E-Commerce in India and its Potential
Ecommerce stands for electronic commerce and pertains to trading in goods and services
through the electronic medium, i.e. the Internet or phone. On the Internet, it pertains to a web site,
which sells products or services directly from the site using a shopping cart or shopping basket
system and allows credit card payments. Back in 2005, the 100 million mark would
have seemed impossible. With a small number of 25 million internet users in
India (2.5% penetration) in 2005, we have seen a surge in the following years
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as the number jumped to 46 million in 2007 and 100 million in 2010 which is
more than a 100% growth.
(millions)
2006 32.2
2007 46.0
2008 51.8
2009 61.3
2010 100.0
(Source: Google)
Today E-commerce is a byword in Indian society and it has become an integral part of our daily
life. There are websites providing any number of goods and services. Then there are those, which
provide a specific product along with its allied services.
Some Internet portals provide almost all categories of goods and services in a single site hence;
they are targeting buyers of every possible product and service. The most popular examples are
www.indiaplaza.com, www.india.com, www.khoj.com, www.sify.com, www.rediff.com,
www.indiatimes.com and so on.
These Indian E-commerce portals provide goods and services in a variety of categories.
To name a few:
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• Apparel and Accessories for men and women
• Health and beauty products
• Books and magazines
• Computers and peripherals
• Vehicles
• Collectibles
• Software
• Consumer electronics
• Household appliances
• Jewelry
• Audio/Video entertainment goods
• Gift articles
• Real estate and services
• Business opportunities
• Employment
• Travel tickets
• Matrimony
• Pets and more
.
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• Company information
• Comparison of companies
• Research on Equity and Mutual Funds
• Tracking Market Trends
• Hotline for advice on Risk Management
• 24-Hour helpdesk….and more.
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4. Festival & fair dates
5. Shopping
6. Tour Operators
7. Information on Cuisine & Restaurants
8. Car rental services…and more.
There are also sites that highlight the tourist destinations of a specific region in India, like
http:// www.incredibleindia.org which covers North East India.
Gifts and E-commerce:
In the bygone days, one had to plan what to gift a loved one, trudge across to your favorite Shop,
and browse for hours before purchasing a gift. Today there are specific Indian websites making
the act of gifting quick and easy to suit ones lifestyle. One such site is
http://www.indiangiftsportal.com/.
The gifts are categorized as:
1. Collectibles like paintings and sculptures
2. Luxury items like leather goods, perfumes, jewelry boxes, etc
3. Household curios and carpets, etc
4. Toys & games
5. Chocolates
6. Flowers
7. Wood-craft & metal-craft
8. Idols for worship…and more.
Also the items can be searched by different regions of India, as every region has a special style in
making handicrafts.
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1. Astrological services
2. Information on Customs and Rituals
3. Legal issues
4. Health & Beauty
5. Fashion & Style
6. Wedding Planners
7. Honeymoon Destinations…and more.
Employment and e-commerce:
Two major portals like www.monsterindia.com and www.naukri.com (meaning job.com in Hindi)
are instrumental in providing job seekers with suitable employment at the click of ammo use.
They have directories categorized under the headings Employers and Job Seekers. The service for
job seekers is free and for Employers they charge a nominal fee. Jobs are available online in
fields ranging from secretarial to software development, and from real estate to education. The
opportunities offered are unlimited.
1.4.2 Banks:
Credit/Debit Cards:
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Banks facilitate E-commerce by providing the most vital trade instrument, namely the Creditor
Debit Card, without which E-commerce would be impossible. Some of the major Indian players
in this field are:
http://www.hdfcbank.com/, http://www.icicibank.com/and http://www.statebankofindia.com/.
Microsoft Research India was inaugurated in January 2005 in Bangalore, as the sixth MSR
laboratory in the world. The arrival of a giant like Microsoft itself speaks of India’s potentials a
world-player in the field of Information Technology and e-commerce; and others will soon
follow. Indian researchers and technicians can further the fast emerging world of E-commerce in
India and take it to greater heights.
What does the future hold for e-commerce? Many would say it is difficult to predict.
The forces that determine the web's winners and losers are just taking shape and technological
advances could add even more uncertainty. On the downside, some experts predict that it will be
increasingly difficult for smaller companies to establish their presence. Public companies and
traditional brand name retailers have deep pockets and a name recognition that will make it
difficult for smaller sites and mom-and-pop shops to attract customers, thereby forcing them to
compete with the big boys. On the Net, it's one big neighborhood. On the upside, nearly all
experts believe that overall e-commerce will increase exponentially in coming years. Business to
Business transactions will represent the largest revenue. Online retailing will also enjoy a drastic
growth. Areas expected to grow include financial services, travel, entertainment and groceries.
And for those considering opening a virtual store front, forthcoming technology and standards
agreements will make it easier to create a site, to protect it against payment fraud, and to share
information with suppliers and business partners.
According to a Reuters, Google expects India’s Internet users to triple (a
whopping 300 million) by 2014. Now, what is it that will propel this huge
growth? Rajan Anandan, who heads Google’s India operations shared
with The WSJ that -”The next 200 million new users will largely be mobile-first
users and out of those, 100 million will be mobile-only users”. This is mainly
because telecom carriers have invested in high-speed wireless infrastructure
and smart phones will become cheaper. Let’s see how that goes.
So what does this user growth mean for E-commerce in India? Online travel
and movie ticket sales generate about $5 billion in revenue in India compared
to a massive $80 billion in neighboring China. It remains to be seen whether
this growth in Internet penetration will translate into more number of users
who will indulge in online purchasing. Anandan had also mentioned that,
“Making money off that growing audience, though, is proving difficult thus far
for Google and other Internet companies,” Also, Indian online ad spending is
only about $200 million per year – a small fraction of the $80 billion
global digital advertising industry
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Chapter 2
Literature Review
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Fig 2.2: Functions of Electronic Commerce
Consumer-to-Business (C2B): Consumers can band together to form and present themselves as
a buyer group to businesses in a consumer-to-business relationship. These groups may be
economically motivated as with the demand aggregator, Mercata.com, or socially oriented as
with cause-related advocacy at voxcap.com.
In 2012, B2C ecommerce sales grew 21.1% to top $1 trillion for the first time, according to new
global estimates by e Marketer.
This year, sales will grow 18.3% to $1.298 trillion worldwide, e Marketer estimates, as
Asia-Pacific surpasses North America to become the world's No. 1 market for B2C ecommerce
sales.
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Sales in North America grew 13.9% to a world-leading $364.66 billion in 2012—a figure
expected to increase 12.2% to $409.05 billion this year—as more consumers shifted spending
from physical stores to retail and travel websites thanks to lower prices, greater convenience,
broader selection and richer product information. But despite strong growth, North America’s
share of global sales will drop from 33.5% last year to 31.5% in 2013 as Asia-Pacific surges
ahead.
B2C ecommerce sales in Asia-Pacific grew more than 33% to $332.46 billion in 2012. This year,
the region will see sales increase by more than 30% to over $433 billion—or more than one-third
of all global B2C ecommerce sales.
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The rapid growth in Asia-Pacific sales is a result of several factors. Three Asia-Pacific markets
China, India and Indonesia—will see faster B2C ecommerce sales growth than all other markets
worldwide this year, while Japan will continue to take a large share of global sales.
China, unsurprisingly, is the primary driver of growth in the region. The country will surpass
Japan as the world’s second-largest B2C ecommerce market this year, taking an estimated 14%
share of global sales, as its total reaches $181.62 billion, up 65% from $110.04 billion in 2012.
The US will remain the single country with the largest share of worldwide B2C ecommerce
spending, at 29.6% in 2013—down from 31.5% in 2012 despite relatively strong growth. This
will continue throughout the forecast period, though China is closing the gap fast. In 2016, China
will have 22.6% of the worldwide market, vs. 26.5% in the US.
China also boasts the highest number of people who buy goods online in the world—nearly 220
million in 2012, according to e Marketer—a result of increasing internet penetration; a
burgeoning middle class with growing trust in online shopping; government-driven campaigns to
promote consumerism; as well as improved infrastructure, product selection and services offered
by online sellers and retailers.
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According to e Marketer, B2C ecommerce sales in the US will grow 12% to $384.80 billion in
2013—after growing 13.8% to $343.43 billion last year—as average B2C ecommerce sales per
user reach $2,466 this year among those who buy goods online in the US.
Average spending per user is lower in China—set to reach just $670 this year, e Marketer
estimates but the sheer growth in China’s digital buyers is staggering. The country will nearly
double the number of people who buy goods online between 2012 and 2016, e Marketer
estimates, resulting in considerable upside for B2C ecommerce sales in China through the
forecast period.
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A Bottom-Up Approach to Evaluating the Global Ecommerce Market
E Marketer is relatively distinct in its methodology for global B2C ecommerce sales. The
company forms its figures through an analysis of various elements related to ecommerce sales—
including macro-level economic conditions, population figures, internet and broadband adoption,
consumer attitudes, historical trends in online sales, survey data from third parties, and estimates
from other research firms, investment banks and other forecasters at a country and regional level
before building its worldwide model.
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For example, when evaluating overall B2C ecommerce sales in China, e Marketer considered
data points from dozens of sources on top-line sales, growth, online buyers, online buyer
penetration, internet usage, and other trends—including, but not limited to, those included on the
charts above and below—before forming its own forecast.
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In all, e Marketer analyzed more than 1,100 data sets from over 130 research sources whose
ecommerce figures are each tracked and evaluated by e Marketer based on their respective
methodologies, definitions and historical accuracy looking at more than 22 markets and six major
regions, before forming its worldwide figures.
E Marketer tracks and re-evaluates many of its estimates more than once per year. When an
estimate is re-evaluated and found to be unchanged from the previous estimate, it is marked as
"confirmed and republished" as of the later date.
Definitions: e Marketer’s figures for B2C commerce sales include retail sales, travel sales; digital
downloads purchased via any digital channel (including online, mobile and tablet) and sales from
businesses that occur over primarily C2C platforms such as eBay. These figures exclude
gambling and event tickets. Digital buyers are internet users ages 14 and older who have made at
least one purchase via any digital channel within the past year, including purchases made on
desktop, laptop, mobile and tablet devices. E Marketer converts currency based on the average
2012 exchange rate as reported by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Note: e Marketer benchmarks its Argentina B2C ecommerce sales projections against Cámara
Argentina de Comercio Electrónico (CACE) data, for which the last full year measured was 2011.
E Marketer benchmarks its Germany B2C ecommerce sales numbers against the Bundesverband
des Deutschen Versandhandels data, for which the last full year measured was 2011. e Marketer
benchmarks its India B2C ecommerce sales projections against the Internet & Mobile Association
of India (IAMAI) data, for which the last full year measured was 2011. e Marketer benchmarks
its Japan B2C ecommerce sales projections against the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
(METI) data, for which the last full year measured was 2010. US B2C ecommerce is comprised
of retail ecommerce and digital travel sales. US retail ecommerce is benchmarked against the
Department of Commerce data, for which the last full year measured was 2011; US digital travel
sales, which includes online leisure and unmanaged business travel, is benchmarked against
PhoCusWright data, for which the last full year measured was 2010. Asia-Pacific includes
American Samoa, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma,
Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,
Japan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia,
Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, North Korea,
Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South
Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu,
Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna. Eastern Europe includes Albania, Belarus,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary,
Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia,
Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Poland. Latin America includes
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil,
Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat,
Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and
Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uruguay, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (British), Virgin Islands
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(US). Middle East & Africa includes Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Benin, Botswana,
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros,
Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Gaza Strip, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Israel,
Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali,
Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar,
Rwanda, Saint Helena, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,
Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab
Emirates, West Bank/Palestine, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. North America
includes Canada, US. Western Europe includes Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Faroe
Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Iceland, Ireland, Isle
of Man, Italy, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and UK.
About e Marketer
E Marketer is the authority on digital marketing, media and commerce, offering insights essential
to navigating the changing, competitive and complex digital environment. By weighing and
analyzing information from different sources, e Marketer provides businesspeople, marketers and
advertisers with the most complete view of digital marketing available.
The electronic market place participants are not limited only to digital product companies’ e.g.
publishing, software and information industries. The digital age and the digital revolution affect
all by virtue of their process innovations:
Web-TV and digital television are going to affect TV news and entertainment programs.
Changes in telecommunication will affect the way the information is received, product
announcements, orders etc. Phones, Fax machines, Copiers, PCs and Printers have become
essential ingredients in doing business, so are E-mail, websites and integrated digital
communication Today’s office business machines are not integrated (e.g. Faxed orders have to be
typed in on computers), the much talked about convergence will drive all these equipment into
one digital platform, whether it be a computer connected to the Internet and intranet, a new kind
of device capable of interacting with other devices, because that device will prove to be more
efficient and productive.
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User experience of e-commerce
According to a February 2001 Business 2.0 report, 55 percent of users enjoy online shopping
because there are no salespeople involved. In a December 2000 study, it is also indicated that
"anyone with access to a credit card would buy over the Net." Based on such phenomena, it is
safe to say that interactivity, which is more secure than ever and saves the need of a middleman
during an online transaction, has played a major role in boosting the growth of e-commerce.
Compared to traditional retailing, users also cited the following reasons as to why they prefer online shopping:
Convenience 84%
Saves time 72%
Avoids crowds 64%
Allows more time to research 61%
Lower prices 60%
Among these top five reasons, at least two of them cannot be provided by traditional retailing,
and they can only be enhanced by the interactivities offered by the Internet. Therefore,
interactivity is a significant revenue partner for sites that have adopted e-commerce.
The downside is that e-commerce sites are inundated with traffic during major holidays. In 1999,
AMR Research, a market analysis firm specializing in logistics, reported that the peak in online
orders during the holiday season came around Dec. 11, whereas the shipping activity peaked the
week of Dec.20, indicating there was a delay in preparing orders.
"Two years ago, it was acceptable, even impressive, to send an e-mail confirming the order had
been received,'' said Ashley Deaton, manager of logistics services for the European division of
Kurt Salmon Associates, a consulting firm. "Now, the customer wants to know where that order is
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in real time.''
Customers also want more information about the status of their Internet orders than they expect
with catalog orders.
This sheds light on the fact that e-commerce requires a different outlook on building a logistics
network. Products ship from the company to the customer. The store no longer plays the
intermediary, according to a January 2000 article in the Journal of Commerce.
To understand the situation in India, Nasscom conducted a survey on India's potential for e
Commerce industry with the following points of reference:
(a) Understand and evaluate the present state of E-commerce industry and market in India.
(b) Anticipate future potential of E-commerce industry and market in India.
(c) Identify present and potential global trends that are expected to define new paradigms of E-
commerce scenario.
(d) Analyze current internet access and penetration in India and evaluate potential threats.
(e) Suggest suitable strategies to enable Indian IT companies to address and capture a significant
share of E-commerce market.
Going by even the preliminary findings, it can be easily summarized that E-Business can indeed
emerge as a major opportunity for India. This acquires twin connotations of E-commerce and E-
Business transactions from local businesses and the huge opportunity for software exports to
other countries by quickly joining the E-Business opportunities. This survey is the first of its kind
which has taken into consideration India's twin assets – software industry and rapidly
restructuring industry sector.
The scope of the study also included finding a level of awareness among corporate
executives about E-commerce and its benefits; perceived importance of E-commerce as being
integral to their corporate strategy framework; prospective volume of transactions expected to be
carried out through E-commerce; opportunity for exports of E-commerce solutions and
services .Penetration analysis of online services based on the NASSCOM (1999) study indicated
that penetration rates of internet and E-commerce transactions in India are expected as follows:
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For Business-to-Business transactions, Indian industries are expected to reach online penetration
of 2% by 2003 and 8% by 2008. This would be about one tenth of E-commerce penetration in
Japanese industries during similar periods. It further expects that India's active internet
population would spend close to 1.4% of its total regular household spending through internet
purchases by 2003. Revenue streams would increasingly be aligned with emerging global model.
Most of the revenue would come from commercial transactions and a small amount would come
from advertisement revenues. It is expected that by 2003 Internet Business-to-Consumer
transaction would constitute 80 percent of the revenue. The advertisement revenues would
amount to about 5% of total advertisement money spent. It is predicted that 3-4 percent of E-
commerce could be the result of a growing group of affluent Indians living overseas who are
likely to make some form of purchase from Indian based Web sites either for their own personal
consumption or as gifts for their kin in India.
Some of the preliminary findings on E-commerce and E-Business software exports
potential are as follows: In the year 1999-2000, Internet and E-commerce related software and
services exports from India brought US $ 340 million out of an estimated US $ 3.9 billion
software and services exports. Supply Chain Management optimization is one of the strongest
drivers of global E-commerce solutions market, as it spurs Business-to-Business transactions.
More than 68% of Indian software houses have informed of strong expertise in Supply Chain and
Distribution Management solutions. Almost 32% of IT company respondents have identified web
based consumer businesses as a major opportunity area, with expected paybacks beginning in 3-4
years. Some of the promising areas of E-commerce services are: legacy application integration;
Internet application integration; EDI, Migration to web based models; new IT frameworks,
integration with business strategy and strategic IT consulting (OECD, 1999). With corporate
planning to revive IT spending after Y2K problem, E-commerce solutions have emerged as a
major technological and business opportunity for Indian software houses. However, there is a
concern over present state of affairs with regard to facilitating and supporting E-commerce in
India because of the poor infrastructure. However, the software industries in India as well as user
industries are putting together their resources for adopting E-Business strategies.
In spite of passing of the I.T. bill, the framework and infrastructure in India still is not conducive
enough for proliferation of E-Business. More than 88% corporate executives expressed keen
awareness of increasing adoption of E-commerce and its potential benefits. More than 41% of
corporate executive said that E-commerce transactions are integral to their corporate plans.
Among the executives responding, nearly 85% were industries which did not have direct or
frequent contact with end-consumers, but they can see that in the future they may have to. About
18% of corporations already have some form of E-commerce infrastructure in place. These have
been facilitated through upgrade of existing IT systems or fresh installations configured for E-
commerce transactions. The most commonly found business practice is to establish extranets or
EDI (Business-to-Business) infrastructure for initial or learning period. This is subsequently
upgraded to internet based access mechanisms for customers. More than90% of the executives
cited perceived efficiency in Supply Chain Management as motive for Business-to-Business E-
commerce, and enhanced Customer Services (Customer Relationship Management) for Business-
to-Consumer transactions. The other reported benefits included moving towards Justin-Time
management. Almost 78% of respondents concurred that for them technology is not a major
concern, nor is the required budgetary resources. However, the high cost of effecting such
transactions and inadequate services with regards to telecommunication in India along with
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bandwidth were cited as major impediments. About48% of respondents said that given the right
framework and cost-effective infrastructure, they would like to move towards adopting E-
commerce at the earliest. Some of the key industries that have high potential for early adoption of
E-commerce are: Financial (Stock Exchanges and Banks), Automobiles, Retail, Travel, IT and
Manufacturing. However, in India presently there are only two hubs of EDI based transactions
which are in Pune and Gurgaon.
There is a clear need of government action and international agreements on E-commerce issues.
It is generally recognized that there is a need for simple, transparent and predictable legal
environment for E-commerce on a national and international level and that Governments should
avoid undue restrictions on E-commerce in order to avoid competitive distortion. To develop such
global framework for E-commerce, a large number of international and regional bodies have been
working notably amongst them being OECD, WTO, WIPO, NCITRAL and ITU. A
comprehensive document reporting on international and regional Bodies and their activities and
initiatives in E-commerce was prepared (Jan.1999) by OECD Secretariat for OECD Ministerial
Conference, which was held in Ottawa in1998. "A Borderless World: Releasing the Potential of
Global Electronic Commerce"(OECD, 1999) indicated the potential for global business for many
countries. Second half of 1999 saw commitments of some of the big companies to move their
multi-billion dollar purchasing operations on to the Internet. With many Fortune 500 Companies
moving their supply-chain transactions involving purchase and sales of goods and services on to
the Internet has created a real necessity among those who do not have E-commerce presence to
move in quickly or be left behind. Now major multinationals such as Intel, IBM, Cisco,3 Com,
Dell and many others have had E-commerce models for 3-5 years. E-commerce between business
and consumers (B2C) which means direct purchase of products on the Internet, for example,
books, automobiles, music, entertainment, software, PCs and many other products has also
picked-up significantly. E-commerce is one area where market forecasts made in 1996-97 turned
out to be much less than actual performance. Projections have been revised subsequently by most
of the consultancy firms Forrester (IEEE, 1999) forecasts that worldwide Internet Commerce will
reach between $ 1.4 and $ 3.2 trillion in2003, up from a range of $ 55 billion to $ 80 billion in
1998. This growth will happens as the world’s largest economies of India and China would
completely come online by 2004
At macro level, if one looks at the opportunities for India, outsourcing software and IT services
from USA and other advanced countries have emerged as one of the means to reduce the cost of
E-commerce today. In this regard, India has emerged as a preferred destination. Therefore, Indian
Software Export Industry could target for a significant share of global e-Business/E-commerce
market in the years to come. In the emerging global digital economy, it would be necessary for
Indian firms to follow the same online B2B practices as done by others in the world to be a
stakeholder. E-commerce would give opportunity to small and medium Indian enterprises to
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project their capability globally and thus participate more proactively in such ventures. Many
traditional sectors such as handicrafts, textiles, art, and herbal medicines which have failed in the
past to tap the global markets due to lack of marketing resources, should find an ideal medium in
internet. Indian cultural heritage, monuments, temples, and classical music could be made known
widely to the world at a very low cost of marketing and could be further leveraged in enhancing
global tourism of which India gets only 2 percent. E-Commerce is one IT tool that could do
wonders to the Indian economy in many fields. In NASSCOM study, India has the potential to
create E-business worth $1.5 billion by 2004and around $10 billion by 2008. E-commerce is a
fast moving area internationally in terms of opportunities and the technologies. It is
predominantly led by industry and user sector with government playing a catalytic role.
Government by providing proactive policies and environment and facilitating support and critical
inputs for growth can do wonders for E-commerce in and beyond India. In the last one year,
significant progress has been made in the country in this regard. New Telecom Policy 1999, new
ISP policy and certain specific policies have emerged out of acceptance of Part I of the Report of
National Task Force on IT and Software Development. They need to be implemented
aggressively and without delay. The drive to set-up world class information infrastructure at most
competitive price has to be accelerated. The following noticeable programs have been made in
India as of July 2001. (i) Since announcement of Internet Policy in November 98, 315 licenses
have been issued to ISPs by Dot. With the availability of a large number of ISPs, it is expected
that market forces will govern the pricing and prices will come down further.(ii) National Internet
backbone is being established which would provide connectivity to Government as well as
private ISPs. TRAI has fixed the upper limit for Internet tariff, ISPs are revising tariffs
periodically at a very economic, competitive and attractive prices to mobilize the customers.(iii)
VSNL, STPI and others are providing international bandwidth from multiple locations .STPI with
the single window facilities including high speed data com services at 17 locations countrywide
has multiple sites and are enabling more than 1200 companies to set up Internet operations.(iv)
NTP-99 has given significant importance to online E-commerce. It is expected that information
for E-commerce and B-commerce will be passed seamlessly. The requirement to develop
adequate bandwidth of the order of 10Gb on national routes and even terabits on certain
congested important national routes will be immediately addressed to so that growth of IT as well
as E-Commerce will not be hampered
Information Technology Bill (Government of India, 1999) has been passed by both Houses of
Parliament. The Bill provides legal recognition of electronic records and purposes including its
authentication through digital signature. This Bill has enabled the conclusion of contracts and the
creation of rights and obligations through the electronic media. It has proposed to provide a legal
implementation structure. It has also proposed to amend Indian Penal code and Indian Evidence
Act to provide for necessary changes in the various provisions which deals with offences relating
to documents and paper based transactions; amendments to Section 2 of the Banker's Book
Evidence Act and RBI Act, 1934 will include safeguards for E-commerce transactions. The IT
Bill is also aimed at prevention of computer crimes. As the Bill comes into effect, corporate and
individuals will be able to rightfully carry on trade through electronic medium without the fear of
24
losing rights and obligations.
The INFINET commissioned by RBI recently is major step in reducing delays and
increasing faster communications in the financial sector. The INFINET plays a key role in inter-
city Electronic Clearing Service (ECS), Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), Centralized Funds
Management (CFMS), Centralized Funds Enquiry System (CFES) and the proposed Real time
Gross Settlement (RTGS) system. The practice of payment through Internet is expected to pick
up in the near future. Besides Credit Card, Electronic Checks will be in use with multiple vendors
and banks/financial institutions. With WTO Commitments to encourage E-commerce in the Third
World countries, Indian Copyright Act, 1957 (amended in 1994) has been broadly in conformity.
Likewise certain amendment to Indian Patent Act in the form of the Patents Amendment Bill has
also been introduced in the Parliament. For protection of intellectual property rights, a Bill has
also been introduced in the Parliament. These are under the consideration of the Parliament. A
knowledge base in IPR has been created and IPR Cell set up in MIT provides facilitating support.
Worldwide new developments on IPR in the context of emerging digital economy are followed
and proactive actions are taken. In line with WIPO Treaties (WCT, WPPT, Digital Agenda), a
project is underway on Electronic Copyright Management System to develop Image
Watermarking Technology. To accelerate E-commerce in Internet, It may be necessary to take
follow-up action on WIPO Copyright Treaty, Technology Development and Pilot Projects on E-
commerce.
With a view to ensure global seamless connectivity for E-commerce, as the demand picks up, the
need for such standards have been felt more in 2001 than in any other year. The general
perception is that it should be private sector, market led approach to open standards supported by
Government. In this regard, Ziff Davis Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Group have been
working for a standard for Internet based e-commerce involving a broad alliance of leading
global corporations, institutions and individuals. NIST, USA is providing effective support for
industry led standards (through alliance with Internet Engineering Task Force).These efforts
include
(i) building standards road-maps with private sector stakeholders; (ii) providing technical
assistance to industry in the development and harmonization of open standards; (iii) establishing
26
neutral test beds and developing reference implementations with technical experts from the
private sector; (iv) developing test methods and infrastructures for measurement and
demonstration and (v) contributing to implementation guidelines set by ITU, ISO, IEC, UN,
CEFACT who have been working in this area. It is necessary to set up a dedicated team in the
country which would follow these international trends and actively participate in these
international standards so that capabilities and interest of India are taken care of. If India is to
become a major stake holder in E-commerce, Indian Industry needs full commitment from the
government in this area. Real benefits of E-commerce will come to India if Indian industry leap-
frogs in using these tools to re-engineer its operations aiming at gaining competitive advantage.
USA and Europe through support of their respective governments have taken such initiatives.
Specifically under the Fifth Framework Program of European Commission, one of the key
actions is related to New Methods of Work and Electronic Commerce. In USA, industry,
government and Small Business Electronic Commerce Working Group has been created to serve
SME s. Collaborative programs are being developed to help SMEs benefit from electronic
commerce through increased training and education. To take lead in E-commerce, it is necessary
to develop such programs. Various organizations of MIT could work with different leading
industry associations to develop such awareness building and education programs. A special
group could be set-up to develop this. A proactive role by WTO, WIPO and other multilateral
organizations would put pressure on all countries to quickly gear-up for E-commerce culture.
However, a major concern is the proposed zero-duty issue on E-commerce, if it is considered
under GATT. Developing countries need to examine the consequences carefully and evaluate
possible option of its classification under GATT. For certain international E-commerce, one needs
to know if E-commerce transactions should be classified as cross-border trade or Consumption
abroad. Likewise, a considered view on domestic taxation issues needs to betaken.
27
Chapter 3
Research Methodology
3.1 Introduction
In the era of economic liberalization and increased competition, Indian industry is attempting to
harness technology to succeed in achieving its business objectives. In doing so, it has focused on
balancing the benefits provided by new technologies with the associated risks inhaling one’s
business depends on it. This has resulted in a race to be the first to be second in implementing
new technologies with most organizations waiting for their peers to explore new areas before
venturing into them.
The basic elements required for successful business engagement are changing rapidly. Pressures
to economies, speed up operations, and supply superior service are constant. One of the most
visible, challenging, exciting, and ill-understood means of responding to these pressures is the
use of a number of electronic channels, particularly the Internet and its offshoots.
‘
3.2 Objective
This is study is a research into the use of e-commerce by companies. This study is conducted to
evaluate the perceptions, status, and triggers on the use of e-commerce in Indian companies. This
survey has been conducted simultaneously in a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The results are expected to contribute significantly towards the current thinking regarding e-
commerce in this region. The results presented in this report pertain to the Indian survey.
The survey sample consisted of more than 110 Indian companies, 69 of which had a minimum
turnover of INR l billion, and 17 with an annual turnover above INR 10 billion. We chose the
largest companies in the country because they were most likely to have the greatest resources to
commit to e-commerce and potentially the largest benefits to reap. They are also the ones with,
arguably, the greatest cultural and organizational obstacles to overcome in order to do so.
The research carried out by KPMG India and that took place during late-1998 was referred to
while carrying out this study. Respondents included CEOs, CFOs, CIO’s, and Heads of
Marketing at the companies surveyed.
The research study was conducted both Primary as well extensive Desk Research for this report.
Secondary data sources were used to gain a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the E-
Commerce market in India. Inputs related to the internet users in India, and segment-wise users
of Internet in India etc. have been taken from I Cube 2006, syndicated research product of the e
technology group at IMRB International. These annual syndicated set of reports on the Internet
market in India are based on a large scale primary survey covering 65,000 individuals across 26
cities in India.
Information from various published resources and other research bodies were also used to
perform a data validation check and also to reach at the final numbers. Primary Research was
28
conducted using in-depth interviews with large and medium-sized B2C and C2C E-Commerce
players. A detailed questionnaire was administered to the players from various verticals of the E-
Commerce Industry
* Manufacturing (MFG),
* Other Industries.
3.3.1 Definitions
A very common question in this context is: “What exactly is e-commerce and what is the impact
of the Internet?” The Internet and its related technologies (Intranet, and Extranet) are fast gaining
popularity worldwide as like other technologies for electronic communication between
organizations (like EDI and Groupware). E-commerce is a generic term to describe the way
organizations trade electronically. It uses a group of technologies to communicate with customers
or other companies, to carry out information gathering, or to conduct business transactions.
Although the Internet is the best known of these, others include Intranet, EDI, and smart cards.
For the purposes of this survey, e-commerce was defined as computer-to-computer, individual-to-
computer, or computer-to-individual business relationships enabling an exchange of information
or value. Hence, the survey also sought to explore the use of e-commerce through channels other
than the Internet. The main objective involved an attempt to determine the current awareness of,
usage levels, and initiatives undertaken in the area of e-commerce. Identification of perceived
barriers to adopting e-commerce by respondents was also a major objective. This yields a starting
point to address issues related to its adoption. The respondents consisted of people from diverse
sectors of industry. The survey also aimed to identify the benefits accrued by those organizations
that have already implemented such technology in one form of the other. This, along with the top
potential benefits expected by the respondents, gives an indication of the thrust areas for those
aiming to promote e-commerce in the country.
Key Considerations
The growth of e-commerce has resulted in exciting opportunities becoming available for people
to adopt this medium as an avenue to market products and services globally. The potential uses of
e-commerce have created implication for governments and the sovereign of their tax systems.
Some of the organizations that have taken note of this development and constituted study groups
and guidelines to tackle transactions undertaken include:
* The US treasury has released a guideline on Selected Tax Policy Implications of Global
29
Electronic Commerce.
* The OECD has produced a report on Electronic Commerce Opportunities and Challenges For
Government.
* The European Commission has also released a report constituted by a high-level group of
experts on e-commerce.
There is an unprecedented level of international co-operation over such a short span of time on
the challenges posed by e-commerce and this, in fact, has brought in seriousness within
governments and tax authorities to tackle the tax implications of e-commerce transactions.
National governments have a disadvantage of not being able to dictate domestic policies in
relation to e-commerce. Nevertheless, this issue will be addressed in the near future as e-
commerce is gaining momentum and will pose tremendous challenges to the existing systems of
taxation. Some of the tax issues that could arise because of e-commerce would be as follows:
Personal Tax: Individuals could escape the tax net by not declaring the income generated by
providing services via the Internet.
Residence: People using the Internet can effectively live and work in a number of jurisdictions. A
similar situation is possible in the case of corporate.
E-Commerce: Companies can transfer profits from high tax jurisdictions to low tax jurisdictions,
or adjust their income and expenses with branches or subsidiaries in the low tax jurisdictions via
Internet transactions.
Tax on Goods & Services: By routing transactions through the Internet, it would be difficult to
subject goods and services to tax. The jurisdiction where the sale or service has happened could
become a matter of interpretation.
30
Chapter 4
Data Analysis
Since the introduction of E-Commerce, there have been debates on future of its prospects in
India. Would it be as successful as it is in US or is it a mirage that attracts many but offers
nothing worthwhile? True enough; the players in the online marketplace are still struggling to
settle with a successful business model. Most of them are settling for Advertising Model, hoping
it would help them breakeven. However, to grow beyond, the majority of the revenue needs to be
generated from customers. Customers on the other hand, have become choice-spoilt. There is no
dearth of offerings for them. They skip from one seller to other in search of best deals in the
standardized products market.
In this section, we would,
According to the survey conducted among the Industry players, the E-Commerce Industry in
India was worth INR 7080 crores at the end of 2006-07. Is it big enough? How much is it
expected to grow?
Indian e-commerce market hosted US$3 billion of transactions in 2011 (Source: IAMAI)
It is forecast that more than US$20 billion worth of transactions will be carried out online
over next five to seven years in India and 12-15% of the country’s shopping activities will
move online. (Source: IAMAI)
A total of 9 million Indian internet users carried out online transactions in 2011. This
number is predicted to reach 38 million by 2015. (Source: Avendus)
India’s B2C market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 34.2% between now and
2015(Source: E marketer)
Online retail sales will reach US$2.4 billion (excluding online travel) in 2012, with the
number of online buyers in the country expanding to 21.5 million (Source: E marketer)
In November 2011, approximately 60% on Indian online users visited retail sites, with 7.6
million and 7.1 million users visiting coupon and consumer electronics sites
respectively(Source: Comscore)
The adoption and usage of E-Commerce in the country is a function of the overall environment
for Internet usage in a country. To correctly understand the likely growth path for E-Commerce in
India it is imperative to understand the internet ecosystem in the country. Some of the key
variables that need to be understood are the proportion of computer literates, internet penetration,
frequency of access to the internet, purpose of internet access etc. A correct mapping of these
would help in understanding the overall framework of E-Commerce in the country.
31
Source: I-Cube 2006 Syndicated Research of e-Technology Group @IMRB, March 2006
Figure 4.1: Frame-work of E-Commerce in the Country
He PC literate population is on a fast growth curve having grown 100% in 2006 over
2004.Though in India overall penetration is still low the important factor is that a critical mass of
users is shaping up which will fuel rapid growth over the next 3-4 years. A Claimed or Ever
Internet User is defined as one who has ever accessed Internet. A subset of Claimed Internet
users, Active Internet Users are defined as those who have accessed Internet at least once in the
last one month. They are the regular users of Internet and are aware of the recent trends and
applications emerging on the Internet. The population of Active Internet Users was 21 million in
March 2006.As these Internet Users mature with respect to exposure and awareness of internet,
they tend to spend more time online; access internet more frequently and surf non-
communication based applications and advanced online
Applications like gaming, E-Commerce, etc However, as it is evident from the charts below, E-
Commerce is still not the key driver of the internet. Internet usage in the country is still driven by
email and information search
However, the interesting part is that out of the 13.2 million internet users across 26 cities covered
in I-Cube 2006, (Syndicated Research of e technology group @IMRB International),14.2% use
the internet to buy travel tickets; 5.5% people do online shopping especially products like Books,
Flowers, Gifts etc. and 5% people deal in stocks and shares through the internet. Though the
percentage contribution of E-Commerce is almost same over the years, however, the number of
Internet users using E-Commerce is growing rapidly.
Thus, E-Commerce is surely being adopted by the Internet users as a way to shop. They are
buying a variety of products online and visiting various websites to buy products from. Given the
rate of growth in E-Commerce users, size of the E-commerce industry is expected to reach INR
9210 crores at the end of 2007-08, a big jump of 30% over the current industry size.
32
Table 4.1: Triggers in buying through internet
As evident from the table above, time saving is the major reason that drives Internet users to shop
online. It is followed by convenience of anyplace, anytime shopping online. Online stores do not
have space constraints, thus, a wide variety of products can be put for display. Companies can
display whole range of products being offered by them. This further enables the buyers to choose
from a variety of models after comparing the looks, features, prices of the products on display.
To attract customers to shop online, e Marketers are offering great deals and discounts to the
customers. This is facilitated by elimination of maintenance, real-estate cost of the seller, selling
its products online. An insight into some of the problems stated by customers while buying
through Internet will help us to have a closer look at the issues which need to be addressed by the
online community.
33
Table 4.2: Barriers in buying through Internet
Absence of touch-feel-try creates concerns over the quality of the product on offer. Another
roadblock in the way of E-Commerce is lack of interactivity so as to allow for negotiations
between the buyer and sellers. In addition to above, the security of online payments is a major
issue requiring immediate attention of the e Marketers. Increasing rate of cyber crimes has made
customer apprehensive of revealing their credit card details and bank details online.
Moreover, the duration of selecting, buying and paying for an online product may not take more
than 15 minutes; however, delivery of the product to customer’s doorstep may take about 1-3
weeks. Further more our past observation has been that in India shopping is an experience itself.
Consumers look forward to it as an opportunity to get out of their homes and interact with other
people. The recent growth in the malls and the hypermarkets only corroborate this fact. Thus,
Ecommerce has to bank on the convenience and discount platform as there is no way that they
can compete with the offline platforms on the experience that they provide.
There is no doubt that Internet shopping has a number of benefits to offer. With changing
lifestyles, E-Commerce is surely the most appealing and convenient means of shopping.
However, the grave issues surrounding the market do not make it the “choice” of most of the
Internet users. Addressing the above specified issues, thus, has become critical to expand beyond
the current user base.
34
Table 4.3: Category of Internet Users
35
According to the data, of total 21 Million Active Internet Users in March 2006 (Source: I-Cube
2006), around 53% have had looked for information on travel while 27% are likely to look for
information on travel services online. Though, only 10% of the Internet Users have booked Air
tickets rail tickets or hotel rooms in last six months, only, 22% are likely to avail these services in
the near future. Except for Travel, percentage users looking for information and buying online is
pretty low. For instance, only 13% of the total Internet users have had looked for information on
online classifieds, however, only 2% of the total Internet Users have paid for availing any of the
services online. In future, only 3.4% of the total Internet Users interviewed is expected to avail
paid classifieds service online.
Based on their behavior towards buying online, Internet users can be classified into the following
four categories:
Though majority of Internet Users look for information on various product categories online, a
relatively smaller portion of them actually buy online.
36
Fig 4.3: Segmentation of Internet Users based on probability of converting online
It has been observed that most of the Online Shoppers start their e-Shopping journey with buying
Air/ Railway Tickets. This might be because the service provided in case of Travel, especially
ticketing is undifferentiated with the place of buying the tickets. The buyer is ensured that he
would get the same service as his co-passenger who has bought his tickets from the physical
counters.
However, the need for ‘touch-feel-try’ might be important for product categories like
Apparels, Jewelry. Product categories like Electronics, Mobile phones fall in the zone of’ high-
risk’ products, for which there are many ‘LFIs’ and very few ‘Enthusiasts’. The above-mentioned
factors make ‘Travel’ more attractive to the Enthusiasts than other product categories. As a result,
the Online Travel Industry is growing at a faster pace than other online categories, we are,
therefore, dividing the rest of the report into two segments:
1. Online Travel Industry, comprising Air, Rail, Hotel Reservations; Car Rentals, Tour
Packages
2. Online Non-Travel Industry, comprising e Tailing, Digital Downloads, Classifieds and Paid
Content Subscription
37
Chapter 5
Research Findings
Table 2: Top Retail Sites (Source Comscore Media Matrix, March 2012;
Total Audience)
38
Table 3: Purchase (Source: Global WebIndex)
39
According to statistics, the Indian apparel market is growing faster than any other industry
in the country, in regards to ecommerce.
By the end of 2013, the country’s top ecommerce retailers are expecting for their sales to
double. A study conducted by HomeShop18.com further breathes truth into their claims,
as their study revealed that in India; a piece of clothing is purchased approximately every
40 seconds. There is just a high demand for clothing on the ecommerce market right now,
and many e-shops are springing up as a result.
Part of the growth is due to the growing development of the country, where more citizens
have access to the internet each day; and not to mention the growth of population in India.
The mix has bred a whole new consumer base, whose preference is to purchase clothing
online, where they can find the brands they like from various retailers without having to
leave their homes.
As the growth in population and in ecommerce preference is so rapid, there is a high
demand for apparel online, which keeps the retailers stocking the shelves and offering
new styles on a more than regular basis, also prompting more sales.
The Indian ecommerce market can also owe its growth to an expanded payment method
circle that allows customers to pay for their purchases when they get the items delivered.
This is called COD, or Cash on Delivery. Since the electronic card option is not taking off
as fast as the ecommerce market is here, this offers an alternative for customers who
otherwise, would not be able to purchase anything online.
In India, women are progressively becoming more in charge of their own lives. This
freedom of empowerment has been part of the growth cycle, as they are now becoming
more active shopping online; whereas before, women did not really have that choice; so
while the consumer market was there, half of it could not partake in the industry.
According to Deepa Thomas, an eBay specialist of India’s eBay commerce, 41% of sales
are taken by the lifestyle category, while clothing ranked above it. It is evident that this
industry is currently very lucrative, and that entrepreneurs would be smart to take
advantage of the growth in India. With retailers expecting their sales to double by the end
of 2013, if all processes remain the same, there is not telling how much the increase will
be by the end of 2014.
Purchase history: 62 per cent of shoppers having shopped for more than a year. 37 percent of
online shoppers have started shopping online in the last 12 months. 67 per cent of online
shoppers have shopped online as recently as three months showcasing the growing acceptance of
ecommerce
Frequency of purchase: 67 per cent of online shoppers have shopped online as recently as three
months showcasing the growing acceptance of ecommerce. 53 per cent of online shoppers have
shopped online more than five times, 27 per cent of online shoppers have shopped online more
than 10 times.
40
1. A top state/city representation: Maharashtra: 29 per cent (Mumbai: 24 per cent),Delhi
NCR: 19 per cent, Tamil Nadu: 11 per cent (Chennai: 7 per cent),Karnataka: 10 per cent
(Bangalore: 6 per cent), Uttar Pradesh: 7 per cent (Lucknow: 2 per cent), West Bengal: 6
per cent (Kolkatta: 5 per cent), AndhraPradesh: 5 per cent (Hyderabad: 4 per cent),
Rajasthan: 5 per cent, Gujarat: 4 percent (Ahmedabad: 2 per cent) and Kerala: 3 per cent.
2. Top City/Product Preference: Mumbai (24 per cent) holds the Top Slot for Every
Category, except jewelry. Delhi (19 per cent) fast competing with Mumbai in accessories,
apparel, gifts, home appliances categories and has piped Mumbai to rank first in jewelry.
Chennai (7 per cent) is at rank three for railway tickets, airline tickets, magazines, home
tools, toys, jewelry, beauty products and sporting goods categories. Bangalore (6 per cent)
is at rank three for books, electronic gadgets, accessories, apparel, gifts, computer
peripherals, movies, hotel booking, home appliances, movie tickets, health and fitness
products and apparel gift certificates. Kolkata (5 per cent) jumps to rank three in online
music sales online and is at rank four for the movies and the music categories.
3. 20 Products Bought Online: Books (41 per cent), Electronic Gadgets (40 percent),
Railway Tickets (39 per cent), Accessories Apparel (36 per cent), Apparel(36 per cent),
Gifts (35 per cent), Computer and Peripherals (33 per cent), Airline Tickets (29 per cent),
Music (24 per cent), Movies (21 per cent), Hotel Rooms (20per cent), Magazine (19 per
cent), Home Tools and Products (16 per cent), Home Appliances (16 per cent), Toys (16
per cent), Jewelry (15 per cent), Movie Tickets (15 per cent), Beauty Products (12 per
cent), Health and Fitness Products(12 per cent), Apparel Gift Certificates (10 per cent)
and Sporting Goods (7 percent).
4. Satisfaction Index: 18 per cent of online shoppers are 'Highly Satisfied' with online
shopping and 62 per cent are 'Satisfied' with their online shopping experience making a
case for repeat purchases and peer to peer recommendations on this interactive medium.
17 per cent are 'Neither Satisfied or Dissatisfied' - An opportunity to convert them towards
this increasingly high satisfying index. 3 percent of online shoppers are 'Dissatisfied' with
online shopping.
5. Top 5 Reasons to Shop Online: 70 per cent of online shoppers like 'Home delivery'
about online shopping, 62 per cent like 'Time saving', 60 per cent of online shoppers like
the '24x7', 45 per cent like the 'Ease of use' and 39 per cent of online shoppers like
product comparisons.
41
period. The emergence of broad band and the convergence of media are likely to
provide the thrust to the online ad-spend budgets of companies.
The number of Internet users in India has reached 205 million in October this year, registering a
year-over-year growth of 40 percent according to a report by the Internet and Mobile Association
of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International. By December, the number is expected to reach 213
million.
The report also estimates that by June 2014, India will have 243 million internet users, at which
point of time, it is expected to overtake the US as the second largest Internet base in the world.
China currently leads with more than 300 million internet users while the US has an estimated
207 million internet users.
According to the report, the number of internet users in urban India was 137 million in October
and is estimated to touch 141 million by December. Rural India has witnessed year-over-year
growth of 58 percent in active internet users since June 2012. In rural India, there were 68 million
internet users in October and this is estimated to reach 72 million by December.
According to the report, the number of mobile internet users has also witnessed a steady rise,
with 110 million mobile internet users in October. This is estimated to reach 130 million by the
end of December. In June, there were 91 million users accessing the internet on mobile devices,
with 70.2 million users in urban India. This number rose to 85 million in October and is estimated
grow by 47 percent and reach 103 million by December. Rural India is not that far behind in this
regard with a base of 21 million mobile internet users in June. It reached 25 million in October
and will touch 27 million by December. Mobile usage and hence, mobile internet usage has seen
a huge jump from the 2012 penetration levels. Compared to the 0.4 percent mobile internet users
in 2012, the penetration has grown to 2.4 percent.
The report further finds that more than 50 percent of the urban internet users access internet daily.
However, this high frequency usage is not restricted to only the youth and working men; this
habit of accessing the internet daily is seen among other demographic segments as well, including
older men and non-working women. In rural India, 70 percent of the active internet users also
access internet using mobile phones, while 32 percent use internet only through mobile. The
Community Service Centers and Cyber Cafes are the main point of access for 40 percent of
them.
42
5 to 10% of existing 50,000 dotcoms which are of Indian origin or are India oriented were likely
to survive in the next 5 years. Online advertising in India is poised for a stupendous leap.
A shake-out in the content providers segment following large-scale redundancy as e-commerce
and online advertising sink their roots deeper. Intense competition in the Internet Service
Provider (ISP) segment is likely to focus on generating alternative streams. In the case of Internet
enablers and software service providers, a significant increase in market size was expected in the
long term. On the structural front, a spate of mergers, acquisitions and alliances in the Indian
Internet business in the medium to long to long terms, paving the path for greater consolidation is
expected.
Most large companies in the Internet business categories were expected to follow the merger and
acquisition (M&A) route to widen the portfolio of products and services, increase geographical
coverage and reduce the marketing costs and gestation period. Internet penetration was low in
India. India’s subscriber base reach 8.3 million users in 2005, with the highest growth rate being
witnesses by DSL (digital subscriber line) and cable connections. Dial-up connections, however
would still account for the largest share of internet connectivity options Net subscriber base of up
to 45 lacs.
43
5.3 Research Highlights
The following charts show that the main target market of the organizations that responded to the
survey included an even mix of both areas. The responding organizations were quite varied in
terms of size with the number of employees ranging from less than 100 to more than 10,000, and
44
the turnover ranging from less than Rs 10 million to more than Rs 10 billion. The annual
InfoTech spending of the organizations also varied over a wide range. While some organizations
spent less than Rs 100,000 on InfoTech per annum, there are others who spend more than Rs 100
million.
5.3.6 Integration
Over half of all respondent companies had support at the board level and had allocated a budget
for e-commerce integration. Forty per cent of the organizations are taking measures to integrate
e-commerce technologies with their current operating processes and technologies. However,
adapting to e-commerce will not simply mean redesigning internal processes and customer
interfaces. Instead, companies will have to think of e-commerce as a new channel and not just a
replacement for existing channels which, in turn, means that they may have to start offering new
services in order to maintain their market image and position. Others will find that e-commerce
provides them with the opportunity to offer new services.
5.3.10 Governance
The sponsors within a company determine the scope and success of an e-commerce project. This
section reveals that InfoTech departments are taking the lead on e-commerce projects within their
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organizations. Executive committee support in the for m of board approvals, and intervention to
ensure that the necessary business reengineering takes place to ensure that e-commerce is
integrated with business processes is critical to ensure that these projects deliver on promises.
Respondents were asked which part of the company was the principal sponsor of current or future
e-commerce projects. In nearly two-thirds of the companies, it was the Executive Committee. It
was observed that the InfoTech department champions, develops, and maintains these projects in
a majority of the organizations.
The respondents were asked whether they agreed/disagreed with certain characteristics of their
trading partners. The charts show the cumulative responses of all the organizations. More than
half the respondents felt that trading partners were not a driving force behind their adoption of e-
commerce while, interestingly, trading partners+ technology was named as a significant barrier to
their adoption of e-commerce (Section 5.5). This implies that although the driving force behind e-
commerce was internal, its adoption was inhibited by lack of appropriate technology with the
trading partner(s).Trading partners were viewed favorably by more than half the organizations
surveyed in terms of considering concerns, having explicit role-based agreements, quality of
communications, long associations and levels of trust, while about a quarter of the respondents
viewed them as competitors in some areas. It is evident that most organizations work closely with
their business partners creating an environment with a large, unutilized potential for Business-To-
Business implementation of e-commerce.
5.3.14 Procedures Used By Organizations to Ensure Security and Proper Use of Compute
Resources
The chart details the procedures used by organizations to ensure confidentiality, security, and
appropriate use of computer resources.
5.4 Conclusion
From the survey, it is evident that the potential benefits offered by e-commerce are far from
realized. The perception that trading on electronic channels cannot make money is challenged as
incorrect, at least in the Business-To-Business sector. There is also some expectation that,
although trading on electronic channels may take longer in the consumer sector due to the trading
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barriers on the Internet, this, too, will soon follow. Electronic channels are forcing companies to
re-think major aspects of the way they are organized and do business. E-commerce raises major
strategic issues and is accelerating developments in areas such as globalization, branding,
customer service, and supply chain. Markets are being transformed as barriers to entry are torn
down. This survey shows that the application of e-commerce and the Internet in particular, extend
beyond marketing to all aspects of the supply chain. It also shows that the technical aspects are
no longer as important as the integration of business processes and the resulting need to re-
engineer them across the organization. But companies are approaching these developments
piecemeal. If companies are to make profitable use of e-commerce, then, its champions must
make their cases heard at the highest levels.
This is an opportunity for the InfoTech and marketing departments to make their
Board aware of the effect of e-commerce not just from the technical point of view, but also in
terms of its impact on the bottom line. In our opinion, only those companies with an
organization-wide initiative, funded from the centre or, at least, on a joint venture basis between
functions, with Board approval, will emerge as leaders in what is a rapidly changing
environment. Senior management members who have earlier been responsible for the e-
commerce initiative in their organizations need to prepare a compelling business case, detailing
the likely returns on investment, and submit it to the Board. The rewards, both for the company
and for the individual involved in shaping its adaptation to the information age, promise to be
well worth the effort.
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Chapter 6
6.2 Recommendations
The most important factor that is necessary in growing eCommerce in India – Trust. If we look at
the Indian context, I feel that there is a general lack of trust between retailers and customers.
Consumers don’t trust the retailers because they feel that they are either being over charged or
that they wouldn’t be able to get appropriate level of customer service once the sale is complete.
Retailers don’t trust the customers because they feel that the customers will take every
opportunity to misuse the return or exchange policies. It is my opinion that this general lack of
trust is the primary barrier that is impeding the growth of eCommerce within India. Here are
some of the practical techniques that online retailers can employ to improve this level of trust and
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build an environment where customers feel safe in clicking that “Proceed to Checkout” button.
1. Customer Reviews
Today’s customers are putting less trust on website marketing messages and becoming more
influenced by recommendations from other people. Customer’s trust for an online retailer will
increase if the retailer offers an ability to let customers share their positive as well as negative
reviews about products or vendors. The key is to not “moderate” the negative reviews because by
allowing customers to post negative reviews, it will actually enhance the credibility of the retailer
as well as other reviews. Obviously, any foul language needs to be moderated but any genuine
issues with the products or vendors must be posted along with the positive reviews.
5. Vendor Penalties
In the Indian context, majority of the eCommerce sites work in a “drop-ship” model. This implies
that the online retailer doesn’t physically stock the goods, and instead relies on external vendors
to directly ship the merchandise to customer’s home. In this case, it is extremely critical to set
clear SLA’s on how long will it take the vendors to ship the orders. There should be financial
penalties built into the contracts if the vendors miss the service levels. Also, there should be
penalties if the vendors receive excessive negative reviews from customers.
8. Fraud Protection
Not only should an online retailer ensure that the appropriate security certificates are setup to
handle checkout related transactions, the sensitive customer and payment information should be
stored in an encrypted format. The messaging on the site should clearly indicate that the checkout
process is completely secure. In addition, there are third party Fraud detection services available
that help flag potentially fraudulent transaction based upon credit card usage velocity and other
parameters. These services would not only help reduce the credit card charge-backs for the
retailers, but will also improve the sense of security and trust with customers.
The Online Travel Industry has been driving the growth in the B2C E-Commerce industry, owing
to entry of low-cost airlines and increase in online bookings for railways and hotels. With an
increase in mobile subscribers across the country, the digital downloads segment is expected to be
one of the main contributors to the Online Non-Travel Industry in future.
• Safer Online Payment Systems: As the Internet becomes a safer place to transact, the amount
spent by the Internet Users online is bound to increase. Those apprehensive of divulging their
credit card and bank details would be active online shoppers. The Internet users are expected to
buy high-end products like automobile, property, home durables online.
• Customization of content and offerings: As the internet users mature, the demand for
customization will increase. The content would adopt the regional flavors. More niches will be
formed, seeking for offerings made for them and content that meets their requirements.
• More number of shoppers from Non-Metros: Currently, following the spread of users coming
from Metros and Non-Metros.
By the end of year 2007-08, the contribution from the Non-Metros is expected to increase. This
change would be bought by higher penetration of Internet in the small towns and limited reach of
physical distribution channels of the established sellers to these towns. These factors coupled
with higher disposable income would compel the Internet users in these towns to buy online.
• Expanding User Base: Going at the current rate of growth in the Internet users transacting
online, the user base for E-Commerce is expected to rise expand exponentially. A large portion of
the Internet population is under the age of 35 years and is increasingly moving northwards as far
as the purchasing power is concerned. The uncanny nature of this segment” to use now and pay
later” is going to play an important part in the future growth of Way of doing things will gain
precedence.
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Chapter 7
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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